Little Falls transcript., 1887-02-25

"entltled" For it implies mutual ap
preclations. A person may be too
high and too fine to be- "a social sue
cess" in circles whose standards O
recognition are on a. lower plane. L
is easy to imagine the slight esteem
In which man or woman OF geniu!
and worth might be held in social cir
cles whose ideals were of another or
der. 1t would not be the fault o
either, but the inevitable discrepancy
OF different standards, and for him *
talk of being 'entitled' to more woult
be alike absurd and undignifed.-
Boston traveller.
! A MURDERER'S DREAM.
Preston vslsntins's Vision the Day Before HI
WAS Arrested for Murder.
From the Augusta Chronicle.
During his incarceration in Rich
mond county jail, Preston Valentine
who was executed tor the murder O.
Mr. William Wales, related the follow
ing remarkable story:
Gone night during the latter part ot
March" said Valentine. Il left tn
place where I was working, and went
over about two miles in the country
to see a colored man named Jim
Wilkes to whom had loaned some
money, and who had promised to re
turn it that night if / should go for it
l did not find Jim, but was told hi
would return to his house almost any
moment, a white man for whom ht
was working having sent for him
Taat 1rup hxr tho fro IN b;o o,l;,, -
wait for him, and while sitting on tht
bench fell asleep. Jim came in in
about ten minutes lit couldn't have
been longer than that, and I couldn't
have been asleep longer than FIVE min
utes) paid me the money, and Ireturn
ed to my boarding place and went to
bed, but I could not sleep because ]
was annoyed by horrible dream
had had while I was asleep by J,m's
| fire.
| IL thought went through years in
! those few minutes. I thought / was
in Beaufort, Carolina, and was work,
ing at ship loading. The ship was
loaded by means OF pulleys, one rope
running to the head Of the mainmast,
passing through a pulley there, then
running down to the hold Of the ship.
We were loading cotton. Somehow
the long rope became hitched at the
top Of the mast, and Capt. E. D. Pur-
cell, who was boss, said that / must
60 up and fix 1T. I started to climb
the rope, and when half way, high up
from the deck, my senses seemed to
fail me. I summoned all my strength,
| and, hand over hand, continued nv
climb to the masthead, and after sus.
l'pense most terrible, and completely
exhausted from fear and dread, reach.
ed out and with the tips of my fingers
touched the mast.
'Could I have reached two inches
further all would have been right. ]
could then have drawn myself on the
mast and saved myself, or remained
secure till my fellow workmen,
who were on shore shouting
to me, could help me from
my perilous position. With one
more effort, which | thought would be
the last, l could make the first Joints
OF my fingers reach over the flat part
OF the masthead, and felt that Twas
all right. My head was hanging be.
meath the rope. I opened my eyes
when I thought myself safe and look,
ed. 1t seemed that was so high from
land that the people on the wharf,
who were calling to me, appeared no
larger than matches. Beneath me
was the ship which was about as large
as dinner bucket, and the sea spread
for miles in all directions. But 7
thought T was saved from what ap:
peared would be horrible plunge to
death, because my fingers were firmly
clasped over the masthead, and, so
soon as I rested a moment and could
bring together all my remaining
strength, l would pull myself on top
OF the long mast.
"Just when I was about to make
what l knew would be my last effort,
and on which depended life or death,
felt something pushing away my
fingers from the scanty hold on the
wood. my strength was fast failing me.
aud some power was gradually, but
surely, pushing my fingers, degree by
! degree, from their slight hold on which
depended my life. Instinctively Irais.
ed my glancefrom the awful and death.
promising scene below to ascertain my
new foe. Horror OF horrors! 1t was
Mr.. Wales. In glance saw him, and
saw the wrath in his face. His hair
shlngled, and half his clothing was
burned from his body. the flesh was
| entirely burned from his bony fingers,
but, with triumphant smile, he was
little by little loosening my hold from
the mast. My God! how suffered.
Suffered the torture of a thousand
deaths. Suffered more than will on
the gallows!
"But it was lie or death with me.
I must fight the fight or I must go
down, down to death below. Once
more collecting my whole strength ]
grasped for the wood, and avoiding
the bony fingers of my victim, ]
clinched the mast with death
grip. Thought I had the courage to
do battle even with the dead, and
would have proven triumphant in my
dream had not the dead spoken. Hav-
ing firmly placed myself on the mast.
I had made up my mind to fight for
possession of the pole, when the ap.
partition spoke. Instantly every mus.
Gle was paralyzed. My fingers did
not relax their hold, but I WAS power.
less to move.
"'Preston Valentine, you struck me
do wn in the dead of night said the
,apparition; foully murdered me.
Without a moments warning you
hurried me into the other world.
Your time is come. Vengeance I will
have!"
II could not move. The rope to
which l had chung for life was placed
around my neck. tiyhtened so as to
strange me, and my tormentor com.
menced the work of loosening my
grasp on the mast. One by one the
fingers were forced from their hold;